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Portland State University or PSU is a public state university in downtown Portland, OR. It was founded in 1946 and has the largest overall enrollment of any university in Oregon State. It is the only public university in the state located in a major metropolitan city. Portland State is part of the Oregon University System. Michael Reardon is the current interim President and has held numerous administrative positions in the school. The school was established as the Vanport Extension Center to fulfill the need for higher education for returning WWII veterans in Portland. It was known as “the college that wouldn’t die” as it wouldn’t close down after the Vanport Flood in 1948. The Center changed its name to Portland State College in 1955; it became a four-year-degree-granting school. In 1969, the school was given university status by the Oregon State System of Higher Education and became Portland State University.
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About The Portland State Vikings
The athletic teams are called the Portland State Vikings and their colors are forest green and white. Since Portland State is located in the downtown district called the “Park Blocks,” the Vikings have also been referred to as the “Park Block Bombers.” Portland State has been a member of the Big Sky Conference since 1996. The school’s mascot is the Viking known as Victor E. Viking. The school has placed 2nd twice in football at the Division II level. The football team competes in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision, which was formerly called Division I-AA, under head coach Jerry Glanville. The football team’s home games are played at PGE Park, which is off-campus. Football started to compete at the college level in 1947. PSU competed at the small college level before starting to compete at an interstate level in the 60s. Neil Lomax was a former PSU quarterback that went on to star for the then St. Louis Cardinals in the NFL. The “Run & Shoot” offense in football was first executed at PSU by then coach Darryl “Mouse” Davis.
His quarterback protégées were Lomax and June Jones, who became the former head coach at the University of Hawaii and is now at Southern Methodist and is an advocate of the Run & Shoot. In the 80s, the Vikings finished in 2nd place in the NCAA Division II in 1989 and 90 under coach Pokey Allen. On March 26, 2007, Torre Chisholm was named the new Athletic Director at PSU. He replaces Teri Mariani, who took over when Tom Burman left in February 2006 for the University of Wyoming. Washington State University’s Athletic Director, Jim Sterk, was Burman’s predecessor at PSU. In the 2006 season, the Vikings were victorious over the University of New Mexico. The ended the season tied for 2nd place in the conference and included offensive lineman Brennan Carvalho and linebacker Adam Hayword, who were named All-Americans. Tim Walsh finished his 14th year as coach in 2006 and then resigned to become the offensive coordinator at Army. Jerry Glanville, the current coach, succeeded Walsh. Glanville was a former NFL head coach and the defensive coordinator for the University of Hawaii. Glanville hired Davis as the new offensive coordinator and he re-installed the Run & Shoot.
